Vampire Timeline
The following is a list of historic events related to Vampires, both Sylvanian and abroad. Dates are given according to the Imperial Calendar. Entries are frequently based on unreliable sources, such as the accounts of necromancers, heretics, adventurers, and other undesirables, especially those pre-dating the founding of the Empire. They are approximate and provided as a rough guide only. History *-2500 IC -- The rise of Nehekhara. Upon their death, the Priest Kings are entombed in great pyramids. *-2000 -- The birth of Nagash. *-1968 -- A group of Dark Elves are shipwrecked off the Nehekharan coast and captured by the High Priest of Khemri. Nagash studies their Dark Magic and proves a more than apt pupil. *-1950 to -1750 -- Nagash rules Khemri and distils the Elixir of Life from Human blood. He recruits certain depraved noblemen to rule under him. Their span of life extends far beyond that of ordinary mortals. Nagash slays the Priest King of Khemri and seizes power. He later orders the construction of the Black Pyramid, one of the largest structures ever built by man, dwarfing even the Great Pyramid of Khemri. *-1750 to -1600 -- The Priest Kings form a great confederation against the Great Necromancer. After nearly a century of warfare, Nagash's power is finally broken, and he is forced to flee north. Neferatem, the Queen of Lahmia secretly takes Nagash's books, under the influence of High Priest W'soran. *-1590 -- A rebellion in Lahmia is brutally quashed. Neferatem becomes known as Neferata. *-1520 -- Neferata creates a corrupted version of the Elixir of Life. Though she achieves immortality, the Lahmian queen is left with a terrible thirst for human blood. She eventually passes the curse to others, creating the race of Vampires. *-1500 to -1350 -- Nagash uses his Undead slaves to excavate mines beneath Cripple Peak, creating the citadel of Nagashizzar. Primitive human tribesmen start to worship Nagash, leading to their devolution into the corpse-eating race of Ghouls. *c.-1200 to -1170 -- The rulers of Lahmia become aware of the Great Necromancer's presence and send emissaries to him. Rumour of the Lahmian cult reaches the Priest Kings, and the followers of Nagash are defeated and driven out. * –1200 -- King Alcadizaar the Conqueror besieges Lahmia and drives out the Vampires. They return for a time at the head of Nagash's army before scattering. *-1163 to -1152 -- Nagash declares war upon the Priest Kings. Alongside other fell creatures, the Vampires lead Nagash's armies. The Priest Kings are united under King Alcadizaar, and his formidable leadership defeats Nagash's first assault. The Vampire W'soran stays with Nagash and dares his wrath, whilst the other Vampires flee to escape the Great Necromancer's anger. Nagash unleashes a plague upon the land. His own Undead forces are immune to the foul magic but the folk of the land die in droves. A new army is freshly-raised Undead invades the lands of the Priest Kings, sweeping all before them. Alcadizaar is brought in chains to Nagashizzar to be tormented by Nagash. *–1151 -- The Great Ritual. After consuming prodigious amounts of warpstone, Nagash begins the Ritual of the Waking. Sensing the danger they are in, the Skaven of Cripple Peak free King Alcadizaar, who cuts down Nagash and flees with his Crown of Sorcery. *-1150 -- W'soran quits Nagashizzar with a cabal of Nagash's priests and one of the Great Necromancer's spell books. * –1147 -- The body of Alcadizaar is discovered by Kadon, who wrests the Crown of Sorcery from the dead priest king's grasp. Possessed by the spirit of Nagash, the shaman founds the city of Mourkain - meaning Place of Death - atop Alcadizzar's burial mound. * -1122 -- W'soran gives the Blood Kiss to his apprentices so that they may continue to aid him in his studies for eternity. * -1020 -- Ushoran arrives in Mourkain, drawn by the power of the Crown of Sorcery. He usurps Kadon and assumes control of the city, founding the kingdom of Strigos. * c.–600 -- Vorag Bloodytooth unites the scattered tribes of Crypt Ghouls that lurk below Cripple Peak and becomes the first Ghoul King. The vast, if undisciplined army under his command quickly overruns, and all but destroys the Red Cloud Goblin tribe. The survivors are enslaved and forced to build the Fortress of Vorag, east of the Plain of Bones. While besieging the Goblin lair of Grey Hag, Vorag is struck by a bolt from a goblin artillery piece and killed. The Fortress of Vorag is forgotten and falls into ruins. *-326 -- The Dwarf city of Silver Pinnacle is invaded and conquered by Neferata, former queen of Lahmia. *-250 -- Strigos reaches its height, and Ushoran calls upon the Vampires of the old world to join with him. Neferata spurns his invitation, desiring secrecy for Vampire-kind, and uses her influence to incite the men of the surrounding regions to attack Strigos. *-223 -- Melkhior, one of Wsoran's students, slays his master and takes the Book of Nagash from his vault. *c-200 -- Mourkain is sacked by Orcs and Goblins, led by Warboss Garsnag Craktoof. Ushoran is destroyed while defending the gates, by the Orc shaman known as 'Red Eye'. The surviving Strigoi Vampires are driven into the wilds and their people scatter, eventually devolving into the Ghoul Kings. * –40 -- Nagash is reborn again. * 15 -- Nagash returns from his crypt in Nagashizzar to rebuild his empire of the dead. He attacks the newly-founded Empire of Sigmar, and several Vampires return from their exile to fight alongside him. After an epic battle, Nagash is slain by the man-god and the Vampires flee into hiding once more, pursued by the warriors of Sigmar. *253 -- Abhorash slays a Dragon in the Worlds Edge Mountains and drinks its blood, curing himself of his Blood Thirst forever. His followers spread across the world seeking to emulate their master. * 876 -- Norse raiders bound for Lustria capture an Imperial merchant ship, unwittingly taking on board the Vampire Luthor Harkon's body. When the ship arrives, the crew have all been enslaved or made Undead. Luthor creates an empire in southern Lustria, the Vampire Coast. *1111 -- The Black Death unleashed by the Skaven wipes out three-quarters of the Empire's population. Skaven erupt from their hidden tunnel systems and overrun the land. After a shower of warpstone shards falls in Sylvania, the Necromancer Frederick Vanhal raises a huge Undead army from the bodies of the plague victims and turns back the Skaven invaders. The first Corpse Carts also come about in this year. * 1116 -- Vanhel raises an army made of dead plague victims with the aid of the mysterious Prince Vladimir and fights off the Skaven. *1112 to 1124 -- Vanhal builds the fortress of Vanhaldenschlosse and carves out a powerful Undead empire. Over the following decades Vanhal, the remnants of the Empire, and the Skaven fight a prolonged war against each other. The fighting ends when Vanhal is assassinated by his apprentice and his Undead horde crumbles. The Skaven, weakened by their war with Vanhal, are driven back underground by Count Mandred Skavenslayer. *1207 to 1244 -- Dieter Helsnicht is discovered to be Necromancer and driven out of the Empire city of Middenheim. He escapes to the Forest of Shadows where he raises a large Undead army and attacks the Empire. He annihilates one army that is sent to stop him, but is defeated at the ''Battle of Beeckerhoven'' by a combined Empire and Kislevite force. Dieter's body is never found. * 1454 -- The Red Duke, of Abhorash's line, terrorises Aquitaine. He is defeated at the ''Battle of Ceren Fields'', pierced by the king's own lance. * 1681 -- The Night of the Restless Dead. Nagash returns to life once again, 1,666 years after he was slain by Sigmar. For one night, throughout the known world, the dead stir and walk the land, sowing terror and confusion amongst the living. Many Vampires come out of hiding and wage war to increase their domains. Countless villages and towns are overrun before the night of terror ends. * 1750 -- Nourgul the Necrarch razes all the land between the Irrana Mountains and the Southern Sea in what the Estalians call the War of Blood. After a month-long siege of Magritta, he enters the temple of Myrmidia to steal the Tome of Wisdom. His ashes are later found beside it. * 1797 -- Vlad von Carstein marries Isabella von Drak and becomes Count of Sylvania. Over the following two centuries, the remaining aristocratic families of the region are infected with Vampirism. *1887 -- Walach Harkon, student of Abhorash, arrives at Blood Keep. In one night he defeats their best warriors, slaughtering the unworthy. He spares a few and turns them into Vampires, forming the legendary Ordo Draconis -- known to the superstitious folk of the Empire as the Blood Dragons or Blood Knights. * 1932 -- The Red Duke is freed by his disciples and once more wages war on Aquitaine. He is again defeated at Ceren Field, and the Red Duke flees to the sanctuary of the Forest of Châlons. *1946 -- Blood Keep finally falls to siege. Walach and several of his followers escape the persuing forces of the Empire. *2000 -- After a warpstone meteor destroys the city of Mordheim, Vlad von Carstein sends agents to the ruined city to secure warpstone shards with which he can power his magic. * 2010 -- On Geheimnisnacht (the night of the Day of Mystery), Vlad von Carstein raises an army of the dead, and the Wars of the Vampire Counts begin. He devastates Ostermark, and his armies rampage between Stirland and the northern border. *2014 to 2015 -- Vlad attacks Middenheim and is slain by Jerek Kruger, Grand Master of the Knights of the White Wolf, but returns to Middenheim within the year and butchers Jerek Kruger and his knights. * 2051 -- Vlad von Carstein is slain at the ''Siege of Altdorf''. Isabella von Carstein commits suicide in her grief. The remaining Vampire counts bicker over who is to be the next Count of Sylvania. * 2056 -- A string of deaths amongst the nobles of Nuln is blamed on the Undead, creating a Vampire panic that results in the beheadings of several innocents. * 2057 -- Fritz and Pieter von Carstein, two of Vlad's get, besiege Middenheim and Nuln, respectively, in attempts to prove themselves. A silver-tipped arrow ends Fritz before he can cause much harm to the City of the Wolf. Pieter is more successful, butchering many before he is slain by a descendant of Vanhel the Necromancer, Helmut van Hel, who seeks to redress his forefather's sins. *2058 -- Konrad von Carstein leads an army of Wights into the Moot and ravages several villages. He is forced to return to Sylvania when Hans von Carstein takes up residence in Drakenhof castle and claims the rulership of Sylvania. *2094 -- Mannfred von Carstein leaves Sylvania and travels south. Konrad von Carstein begins his bloody reign over Sylvania. * 2100 -- Konrad's rampage is stopped by a union of armies from Stirland, Marienburg and Reikland, aided by Dwarfs sent by the High King of Karaz-a-Karak. After the Battle of Four Armies, Count Helmut is nearly elected as Emperor until it is discovered that he is in fact a Zombie controlled by Konrad von Carstein. *2108 to 2121 -- The Undead of Sylvania continue to plague Ostermark, Stirland and Middenheim, though Konrad himself is rarely seen. When the Blood Count does take command of the armies, a series of impulsive assaults against Imperial castles sees the Undead horde repelled several times. Konrad is finally defeated by a combined Empire and Dwarf army at the ''Battle of Grim Moor''. He is slain by Grufbad, the Dwarf hero, and Elector Count Helmar. *2122 -- Mannfred returns to Sylvania and takes undisputed rule over the von Carsteins. He bides his time and builds alliances with Vampires beyond the borders of Sylvania, including the Sisterhood of Silver Pinnacle. *2124 to 2145 -- The forces of the Empire and Mannfred's Undead army fight over a dozen battles in an attempt to gain a decisive superiority. After two decades of sporadic war, Mannfred is finally forced to retreat back to Sylvania by a combined army of Empire troops. * 2132 -- Mannfred von Carstein launches a surprise winter attack against the Empire when it is in the grip of a vicious civil war. He almost succeeds by in capturing Altdorf, but is thwarted by the Grand Theogonist of Sigmar, Kurt III. * 2145 -- Determined to end the threat of the Vampire Counts once and for all, the various factions of the Empire unite and, along with their Dwarf allies, scour the dark forests of Sylvania. Mannfred is finally brought to bay at the Battle of Hel Fenn, where he is defeated. * 2158 -- Gottlieb the Stern leads the Cleansing of Sylvania, hoping to prevent the Von Carsteins from ever returning. * 2300 -- Duke Maldred d'Mousillon dies from the Red Pox and the city falls into decay. None claim the castle or its lands and the Undead walk amongst the streets. *2304 to 2305 -- The forces of Ostermark fight several battles with the Undead hordes of Waldakir Rahtep, before the Vampire is eventually slain by Captain Stefan von Kessel. *2491 -- Heinrich Kemmler, the Lichemaster, finds the burial mound of Krell and raises the Chaos Champion back to life. At the head of a powerful Undead horde, the two sweep down from the Grey Mountains into Bretonnia. In a wild battle at la Maisontaal Abbey, their army suffers such heavy casualties that they are forced to retreat. * 2503 -- Mannfred von Carstein is resurrected. * 2505 -- Itinerant poet and adventurer Felix Jaeger claims to meet Mannfred von Carstein in Drakenhof Castle. *2506 to 2518 -- In an ironic repeat of history, Melkhior's apprentice, Zacharias, attempts to steal the Book of Nagash from his master. Melkhior awakes and drives Zacharias from his tower, pursuing him across the Old World. Zacharias eventually hides in the Middle Mountains. There, he slays a Black Dragon and uses the beast's carcass as a mount, returning to Melkhior's tower and defeating his former master. *2512 -- The Ghoul Swarms blight Stirland. *2520 -- Following rumours of activity in Drakenhof Castle, Grand Theogonist Volkmar despatches the Witch Hunter Gunther Stahlberg to investigate. He is never heard from again. *c.2522 -- Nyklaus von Carstein, tired of the infighting of his peers, uses shadow magic to translocate his entire castle into the fabled nautical realm of the Galleon's Graveyard. There he becomes Count Noctilus, terror of the seas and commander of the fabled Dreadfleet. He is hunted down and killed in his lair by a confederation of pirate lords led by the vengeful Captain Roth. *2522 -- Rumours begin to circulate in Stirland that Castle Drakenhof is once again inhabited by the Undead. Screams can be heard upon the winds and ever more people are going missing. The Witch Hunters grow increasingly frantic as the name Nagash is once again whispered in the shadowed corners of the old World. * 2522 -- The Storm of Chaos. Mannfred von Carstein's army breaks Archaon's horde and then returns to Sylvania. Canon Conflicts As of the End Times, the Storm of Chaos is no longer canon. Source * : Warhammer Fantasy RPG 2nd ED -- Night's Dark Masters ** : pg. 33 ** : pg. 34 * : Warhammer Armies: Vampire Counts (8th Edition) ** : pg. 22 ** : pg. 23 ** : pg. 40 Category:Timelines Category:Vampire Category:V Category:T